The ruling Congress on Wednesday termed the BJP’s allegation of violation of election model code of conduct (MCC) against its candidate from Korba Lok Sabha constituency Jyotsna Mahant as “politically motivated.”
The BJP said the congress candidate violated the MCC by addressing a press conference at the official residence of her husband Charan Das Mahant, who is the speaker of the state legislative assembly.
Taking objection to the allegation, the Congress claimed Jyotsna addressed the press conference before filing her nominations.
In a statement Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla refuting the BJP charges as “baseless”, said that at the time of addressing the media at her husband’s official residence she was not officially a candidate and hence the question of violation of the MCC did not arise.
The spokesperson said it was the right of the wife to reside in her husband’s residence and therefore it could not be regarded as violation of the MCC.
The Congress spokesperson further said if addressing press conferences in official residence was violation of the MCC, then the BJP bigwigs Raman Singh, Vikram Usendi and Dharamlal Kaushik were doing so repeatedly.
Fearing a certain defeat, the BJP was leveling such allegation which was baseless and politically motivated, Shukla added.
Speaker is a constitutional post and by leveling such baseless allegation the BJP had defamed the post, he said, adding the party should immediately apologise and rectify its mistake.